


Illness

by Superhero_Obsessed21



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry Allen is The Flash, Caretaking, Comfort, F/M, Family, Fever, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love, Mutual Masturbation, Sex, Sick Barry Allen, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vaginal Sex, bronchitis, snowbarry as friends, westallen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-13 10:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20581103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superhero_Obsessed21/pseuds/Superhero_Obsessed21
Summary: Barry gets rundown and contacts a virus. Joe and Iris take good care of him.The first Chapter is all about family!Future chapter(s) will contain some West-Allen romance. I’ll update tags as I go.





	1. Chapter 1

“Iris, are you at the house? Is Barry there?”

That was the text Iris received as she sipped her coffee before her shift started this morning. It was kind of funny if you think about it. Iris had just moved away from home to live with her fiancée, and Barry, at Joe’s invitation, had just moved back home to be with Joe and save some money.

Honestly, it was the perfect arrangement for both of them right now, so it had worked out perfectly. 

“I didn’t stop at the house this morning.” Iris replied back.

Barry was feeling a little under the weather last night. He told Joe he was just feeling a little bit rundown. Joe knew he had been pushing himself harder and harder lately, between the CCPD and being the Flash, he never seemed to have time for himself. He never seemed to have time to just wind down and relax. 

Before Barry moved back home, Joe hadn’t realized just how much Barry had to deal with on a daily basis, but seeing it with his own eyes now, made Joe a very concerned dad. 

He had gone to bed right after dinner last night, and when Joe poked his head into his room around 8:30, before he left for a double shift, Barry had been sound asleep. 

Barry May have been 25, but to Joe he would always be the young boy he took in so many years ago after the loss of his mother.

It was now 10:00am, Barry should have been in an hour ago and there was no sign of him. Joe had sent him a text around 9:30 but he didn’t get any response. 

Barry did have a tendency for being later, but not this late. 

Joe was about to ride by the house when his phone rang.  
“Hey Joe” Barry said sounding awfully congested. Joe could tell he was having a hard time breathing.  
Barry? You sound terrible son.  
“I feel terrible” was his congested response.  
“Could you please tell Captain Sign I won’t be in today? I can’t find his direct line.”  
“Sure thing Barr. Do you need anything?”  
“No, I’m ok. I’m just gonna sleep.”  
“Ok son. Get some rest.”  
“Will do” he said.

Around 2pm Joe’s phone was buzzing.  
“Did you find Barry this morning? He didn’t come to Jitters this morning or this afternoon on his break.”

“He’s not feeling well. He’s at the house.” Was Joe’s response.

She looked at the text. Barry hadn’t been sick enough to take a day off from work in years. She actually wondered if he ever had. 

As soon as Iris opened the door to the house, she heard deep wet coughs coming from upstairs. She threw her coat and bag in the chair and headed up to Barry’s room. 

“Barry?” she asked peeking into his room.  
He had the blanket pulled up to his chin. All she could see was his sweat soaked hair.  
When he didn’t answer she decided to enter. She walked over to the side of the bed, and got close to his face. He looked awful. Pale white with flushed cheeks. He seemed to be shivering, but sweaty at the same time. 

Their friendship had been a little bit touchy lately, with Barry telling her how he felt, right after she had decided to take her relationship with Eddie to the next level.

Barry was like her brother, and he would always have a special place in her heart, but she just didn’t feel the same way he did, and lost importantly, she loved Eddie.

She sat next to him on the bed stoking his cheek. He felt hot, not warm, but really hot. He must have a pretty high fever she thought.

“Iris?”, he stired

“Yeah Barr. Dad said you weren’t feeling well, but he didn’t say you were this sick.”

“I’m ok Iris.”

“What’s your temperature Barry?  
Have you taken any medicine?  
When was the last time you had something to eat or drink?”

“I don’t know, no and I haven’t been hungry at all today”, was his pained response. 

“You’re not ok Barry! You need help.”

He was going to tell her he was fine again, but she had already left his room when he looked up.  
His head went right back to the pillow, his eyes closed and he pulled the blanket up as much as he could. 

Iris was back 10 minutes later, with a wet cloth, a thermometer, cold and  
Flu medicine, some hot tea and a couple pieces of toast.

She laid her hand on his face again.  
“Open up Barr”  
He felt too sick to argue with her, so he turned onto his back and let Iris stick the thermometer under his tongue.  
103.3 it beeped.  
Barry! She showed him the reading.  
“My normal body temp is 100.1 now Iris.”  
“It’s not that bad”, he insisted.

Even so she said. That temperature is still high. 

“Yeah”, I guess so he said. 

She wet the cloth with cold water and put it on his forehead. He shivered. 

“Iris”, he said. “I appreciate all this, but I really just need to sleep.”

“I know you do Barry, but you need to at least get something in your stomach so I can give you some medicine.”

He sat up. She pulled his pillow up so he could lean back on it. He struggled, but he was able to get the the toast down. He took a couple sips of the tea, it actually felt good on his sore throat, he thought to himself.

“Okay, let’s get some medicine in you and then I’ll leave you alone for a couple of hours.”

She poured the medicine in the measuring cup, handed it to him and he swallowed it down. She had him sit up more so she could move his pillow back to the bed. “Ok Barry, you can lay down now”, she smiled at him.  
He was back on his side now, pulling the blanket up to his neck again.  
Iris stayed with him, carefully caressing his warm cheek.  
She waited for about a half hour before leaving. She didn’t want to leave at all, but she had to get back to work. She felt his forehead once more before she left. He’s so hot she thought. 

Joes phone buzzed in his pocket. 

“Dad went by the house. Barry has a high fever. Got some medicine and a tiny bit of food in him before I came back to work”

“Is he ok?”

“He’s sleeping.”

“Ok. I’ll be heading out in an hour or so. See you tonight?”

“Yes”

Barry’s bedroom window was cracked open, so Joe could hear him coughing the minute he pulled into the driveway. 

He sounded terrible. It sounded wet, congested and painful. 

Joe went directly up to Barry’s room. He hadn’t even stopped to take his shoes off, disobeying his own house rule.

He grabbed a chair and sat at Barry’s side. He looked at his son with concern, moving his fingers through Barry’s soaking wet hair. Barry opened his glossy eyes and met Joe’s.

“Feeling pretty bad son?”

Barry was done playing tough guy now.

“I feel horrible.”

Have you talked to anyone at Star Labs today?

“Cisco this morning. Told him I wouldn’t be available today. “

“I’m gonna grab the thermometer. I think maybe we should see if Caitlin can come over and take a look at you.”

“I think so too. “

“Okay. I’ll be right back.

When Joe got back into the room, he was on the phone with Caitlin. “Hold on” he said and put the phone on the small table by Barry’s bed.

He felt his sons forehead. “Roll over Barry, I need to take your temperature.”

Barry rolled onto his back and opened up. Joe stuck the thermometer under his tongue and picked up his phone.

“Ok he said” I’m taking his temperature now. 103.6 he said as the thermometer beeped. 

“I know Barry runs hot normally she said, but not that hot. 

That’s when the coughing started. Only this time Barry couldn’t catch his breath and he began to hyperventilate. Joe quickly put the phone down.

Running circles on his back trying to get his son to calm down so that his body could take in some air.

When his breath came back he was holding on to Joe for dear life, and tears streaming down his face. 

“It’s ok son”, Joe said. “I got you!”

When Joe picked the phone up, Caitlin had hung up, but then a text message came through.

“Joe, I’m on my way”

Joe Let out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding. 

Barry’s face was buried in Joe’s shoulder. His breathing was harsh. Joe could hear the congestion with every breath Barry took. He just sat there with him, rubbing his back for comfort until Caitlin arrived.

When the doer bell rang, Joe coaxed Barry back to a laying down position.

“Be right back Barry, with Caitlin.”  
Barry nodded in acknowledgment.

Caitlin stood there waiting for Joe to answer. She had a big bad which was filled with bronchiole devices, test kits and medications.

When they got up to Barry’s room he had fallen asleep. Caitlin started her exam, without waking him. He was on his back, so she grabbed her equipment and began to listen to his chest. 

“His lungs sound bad”, she said looking up at Joe. Did he ever have bronchitis as a kid?”

“He did”, Joe said. “He had it a couple of times.”

“Barry, she said rubbing his cheek softly. Can you wake up for me?”

He opened his bloodshot eyes.

“Not feeling well I’ve heard.” Her hand was now on his forehead.

“Yeah. I don’t feel good at all, he said hand on his throat.”

“You have a sore throat?”  
“From coughing”, he said.

“Can you sit up for me so I can take a look and get a better listen to your lungs.” He pulled himself into a sitting position. 

“Your throat looks angry, she said. I’ll give you something to sooth it.”

She grabbed her stethoscope. “Ok Barr, I need you to take deep breaths.”  
He was only able to take a couple before the coughing started again. 

The coughing wasn’t as severe this time.  
She rubbed his back until the coughing subsided.

“You definitely have bronchitis Barry. I’m going to start you on some antibiotics right away. If you get any worse or don’t see any improvement in 24 hours, I’m gonna have Joe bring you to Star Labs for chest X-rays. I don’t want this turning into pneumonia.”

She had Joe leave the room so Barry wouldn’t be embarrassed.  
The first dose of the antibiotic she was given him was a shot to the buttocks.  
Barry was super thankful she had asked Joe to leave when she told him to drop his pants and bend over. 

After the shot he waisted no time climbing back into bed under the covers.

“Get some rest Barry”, she said. “You’ll start to feel better soon.”  
“Thanks Cait!”, he said softly.

She gave him a caring smile and headed downstairs to see Joe.

She left him a bronchiole inhaler and a nebulizer. She explained the treatment to Joe and left him a bottle of large pink pills for the remaining of Barry’s antibiotic treatment. 

Call me in 24 hours Joe, or sooner if he gets worse, or if you have any questions or concerns. 

Joe gave her a hug, thanking her for coming over to care for his son.

“Anytime Joe! He means a lot to all of us too!”

Joe was up in the attic looking for the vaporizer he used to put in Barry’s room when he was sick as a kid. 

He set up the vaporizer in his room while Barry continued to sleep.

This will help him breath a little better he thought to himself. 

As he was leaving Barry's room he sent a text to Iris.

“On the way home please stop at the drugstore and grab:  
Vapor chest rub  
Orange juice  
Vapor steam liquid  
and some menthol cough drops”

He didn’t have to say why, she knew why.  
“Got it dad”  
“See you soon.”

Joe was upstairs checking on Barry and the vaporizer when Iris got home about and hour and 1/2 later. 

She walked in the room, moving toward her dad as quietly as possible trying not to wake Barry. 

His breathing was labored, she could hear it through his soft snoring.  
She looked over at him and saw the pill bottle on the table by his bed.  
“Dr. Caitlin Snow”

“Caitlin was here?”,she asked

“Yeah, she was”, Joe said now adding the the menthol liquid to the vaporizer.

“What did she say?”

“Bronchitis”, he said.

“Come on”, he motioned to her. “I’ll tell you the details downstairs.”  
She followed her dad out of the room

After Joe finished telling her about Caitlin’s visit and her assessment to Barry’s illness, iris headed back to his room with the vapor rub and cough drops.

“I’m going to leave these in his room so he has them. I’ll be right back” she said.

Barry was awake and coughing when she walked back into his room. The cough still sounded painful to her.

“Hey Barr!”  
“Hi” he said when he caught his breath.  
“You look terrible”, she said to him.  
“Thanks Iris”, he said sarcastically.  
“You know what I mean Barr.”  
“I know” he said with a small smile.  
“I’m feeling pretty miserable” he admitted, rubbing his chest.

“This will help” she said holding up the vapor rub.  
He held his hand out, but she gently pushed him down.  
“I got this Barry.” She said opening the jar.

“I should of had you take your shirt off before I had you lay down.”

He sat up enough to pull his shirt off. 

“There you go”, he said. 

“Are you sure about this Iris?”  
“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just, things between us have been kinda, weird lately, and I don’t want to make it weirder.”

“Barry, your my best friend, my brother”, she said.  
“I can and want to help you feel better.”

He laid back and relaxed.  
She was so tender, rubbing the medicine in slow circles on his chest. He was almost asleep again when she had finished.

“Get some rest Barr”, she said feeling his forehead. “You’re still pretty warm.”

“Thanks Iris!”  
“Welcome”, she said with a smile.

He closed his eyes and let sleep take him once again today.

Joe went upstairs to say goodnight to Barry and to give him his second dose of antibiotics. This dose was in the form of a pill, not a shot.

When he peaked in, he saw that Barry was sound asleep, passed out on his stomach. 

Joe sat down next to him on the same chair from earlier. He looks so young like this, he thought to himself.  
His hand went to Barry’s back, running small gentle circles of comfort.  
Barry’s eyes slowly opened. It had been 4 hours since the first dose of medication now. 

“How do you feel Barr?”

“It doesn’t hurt as much to breath now, so that’s something”, he said.

Joe smiled. 

“Breathing without pain is always a good sign”, he said.

“I need you to sit up a bit so you can take one more dose of medicine tonight.”

Barry got up on his elbow, took the pill put it in his mouth.  
Joe handed him a cup of water and he swallowed it down. Then his head was back on the pillow. Joe put the water down next to him so he could grab it if he wanted, and headed out the door. 

“Joe”, came a small voice. Could you?

Barry didn’t even have to finish the sentence. Joe went back over to the chair, put his hand back on Barry’s back and started to rub slowly.

“Thank you!”, Barry said before sleep took him once again.


	2. True Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry’s on the mend and Iris takes a half day off from work to take care of him.  
She’s been living with Eddie, but slowly coming to terms with her feelings for Barry.  
This chapters is still 95% fluffy.

Joe was relieved to hear the shower running when he walked by the bathroom this morning.

He headed toward the stairs when he heard the water turn off.

He knocked lightly on the door, “Barry?”  
“Yeah, Joe, he coughed out.”

Still congested, Joe thought, but his voice didn’t sound as bad as it had last night.

“I’m heading out”, Joe said. “Just wanted to see how you were feeling, and remind you to take your antibiotics today.”

Barry stepped out of the bathroom, one towel wrapped around his waist and one held firmly around his shoulders and chest.

“I wanted to get the vapor rub off of my chest and freshen up a bit”, he said with a sniffle.

Joe took notice that his eyes were still glassy and his face still pale.  
He started to move his hand to Barry’s forehead. 

“102.1 Joe. I took it when I woke up.”

Ok Barr, feel better!  
I’ll let the Captain know what’s happening, make sure you get paid.

He started coughing again, his face turning red.  
Joe Gave him the “get back to bed” look.

“I know Joe, I’m going. Trust me, I want to go lay down.”  
Joe places a hand on his back, gave a quick little rub and said “I know Barr.”

“Oh, and really, don’t forget...”

“I know, I know  
My antibiotics.”

“Exactly”, Joe said.

“And there’s a gallon of Orange Juice in the fridge.”  
“Thanks Dad!”, Barry said with a smile  
“You’re welcome son”, Joe said returning the smile.

Barry walked back into his room. The first thing he did was take an antibiotic. 

He threw on some sweats and a t-shirt. 

Rubbing his chest now, he realized it felt really tight. 

He didn’t want another coughing fit to take his breath away like it did yesterday.  
So he grabbed the nebulizer, Joe had left in plain sight. Barry thanked him siliently.

He knew how to operate it, he had used one as a kid, on more then one occasion.

He added the medicine, adjusted the machine and let the medicine work it’s magic.

He had been asleep for about 2 hours when the phone rang. 

“Hey Caitlin”  
“Hey kiddo. How do you feel?  
“Kiddo?, really Cait?”  
“Excuse me”, she cleared her throat.

“Mr. Allen, how are your symptoms today?”  
(They both let out a chuckle)  
The chuckle brought on a coughing spell. He recovered fast this time though.  
“Sounds like the congestion has cleared some.” “Sounds like your bringing stuff up, she said.

She noticed he thought, now thoroughly embarrassed.

“I’m felling better than I did”, he said. Not commenting on her last observation.  
“That’s good to hear Barr!”

“How are the meds? Any issues?”

“No issues”, he responded. “They seem to be working.”

“Great!”, she responded.  
“Just don’t skip a dose.”  
“I know”, he said. “I think Joe reminded me to take them about 10 times this morning.”

“Well good for Joe”, she said.

“They do seem to make me tired though, now that I think about it.”

“That’s completely normal. It’s probably a good thing, if I know you. It’ll help you get the rest you need.”

He knew she was right.  
“I know”

“Ok Barr. Let me know if anything changes!” 

He could hear Cisco in the background. 

“Jeez!” Caitlin said. He could tell she had moved her head away from the phone.

“Barry, Cisco says hi and he hopes you feel better soon!”

He had a big smile on his face.  
“Tell him Thank you for me.”

“Will do! Now get some rest.”  
They both said goodbye and the call ended.

It was about 12:30 when Iris walked into the house.  
He had been laying in bed reading some of his old Superman comic books when he heard the door.  
She walked into the kitchen to heat up the soup she had brought. She had stopped by Barry’s favorite diner on the way to the house.  
She turned around when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She saw Barry, who was now walking toward her.  
He looked better than he did last night. He wasn’t as pale, she thought. 

“Smells good”, he said. 

“I’m getting a bowl ready for you. I was going to bring it upstairs.”

“I feel well enough to eat down here”, he said

“Okay, why don’t you go sit on the couch and I’ll bring it over to you.”

“Ok”, he said

His throat was still all kinds of scratchy, causing him to start coughing again. 

“You ok?”  
“Yeah.”, he said catching his breath.

She put his bowl down on the table in front of him and went to grab hers from the kitchen. 

She sat down next to him. “You look much better than last time I saw you. How do you feel?”

That reminded him

“Damn” he said with a mouth full of chicken noodle. “Be right back.” and he “flashed” away.

“I almost forgot this”, he said holding up a fat pink pill. 

“I’m glad you’re starting to feel better Barr, but I don’t think you should be using your powers. You have to take it easy.”

He swallowed down his pill.

“I know”, he said sincerely. “It’s just hard for me to relax completely when I’m not knocked out like I was yesterday.”

“You really scared me yesterday Barry!”

He understood what she was saying. He was kind of scared himself. Although he would never admit that.

“I’m sorry Iris! I’ll control myself.”  
“You better young man!”

He pushed her softly and she pushed him back. Teasing each other like siblings do.

He started to cough, and this time hard. She rubbed up and down on his back. “Just breath Barr. Try to calm down.”  
He was able to relax himself and his breathing slowly returned to normal. 

“You ok?”, she asked.  
“Yeah, I’m ok now.”

“Sorry”, he said.  
“It’s ok Barr, I’m sorry too.  
just eat your soup, ok?”

She could see his appetite was coming back now. He finished three big bowls of soup.

He sat back on the couch, pleasantly full, and started to yawn.  
“The medicine knocks me out, he said.”  
“Sorry about the yawn.”  
“You’re fine Barry, just close your eyes if you have to.”

“Are you headed back to work now?”  
He was thinking he should probably head up to bed if she was.

“Nope! I took the rest of the day off. I figured you could use some company.” 

“You didn’t have to do that Iris. Not sure I’ll be such great company”, he said with another big yawn.

“I know I didn’t but I wanted to be here for you.”

“I’m gonna clean up, she said, be right back.”

When she returned, Barry was sprawled out the length of the couch sound asleep. 

She lifted his head as tenderly as possible, sat down beside him and placed his head back on her lap. 

He felt warm now, not hot. His breathing was even and she couldn’t hear the evident congestion she did yesterday.

She looked down at him, sleeping and content. Her feelings had been so conflicted lately.

She knew how much she cared for Barry, but she wasn’t about to explore repressed feelings, she may or may not have, of physical attraction, while she was practically engaged to Eddie. 

She started stocking Barry’s hair softly.  
She rubbed the side of his face, staring at him. He really was beautiful she thought.

She continued to caress him, his hair, face, chest. 

“If he wasn’t so sick right now”, is what her body was telling her. 

Suddenly she felt a tingle in her private area. “Mmmm”, she moaned softly.

It was at that moment she knew, she had to talk to Eddie as soon as possible!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story won’t follow the shows timeline regarding Barry and Iris’s relationship.


	3. Intimate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris let’s Barry know how she feels.  
Mutual Masturbation in this chapter, but I tried to keep it as soft and romantic as possible

Illness Chapter 3

They had been in the same  
Position for more than an hour now. She was stroking Barry's hair as he slept peacefully, head on her lap.

She couldn’t shut her mind off.  
The same thoughts were playing in her head over and over again.

Barry is my best friend  
Barry is like my brother  
I care deeply for Barry  
Barry cares deeply for me  
I love Eddie and Eddie loves me.  
Barry told me his feelings too late.  
I can’t do that to Eddie

She looked down at his sleeping form, she knew she couldn’t deny it anymore.

Rubbing his cheek softly once more, she knew that she wanted more.

She loved and cared for him deeply, but there was more, so much more. 

The man whose head was in her lap was driving her. 

She wanted him to know how she felt. She had to let him know, and now.

She wouldn’t do anything stupid, to make things worse for them, and she knew he needed to rest.

She was afraid to upset him by bringing the whole thing up right now, but if not now, when?

She just wanted to be with him, and he had to know!

If she thought Barry was hot last night, well she was on fire right now.  
She laid her hand gently on his chest. Moving underneath his sweatshirt, she rubbed softly.  
She ventured over to his nipples. She knew she shouldn’t do it, but she couldn’t help herself at the moment. She started rubbing and lightly pinching it, watching his face, hoping she didn’t wake him up. 

She rolled his nipple with her fingers. Her privates starting to ache.

Suddenly, his hands were on her breasts  
“Iris!”, came his congested voice.  
She moaned. Mmmm  
“Does that feel good?” he asked

Her eyes were closed tight and her face was scrunched up with sweet agony. He didn’t know how long she had been touching him, but he could tell she was close. 

“Yesssss”, she dragged out. 

He turned up on his side and moved his hand under her skirt. He touched her clit over her panties, her very wet panties.

“You’re gonna get all worked up”, she said

He coughed, just a quick one, probably more to clear his throat than his lungs. 

“I think it’s too late for that.”, he said looking down at the tent in his pants.

“That has just turned her on even more.”

She put her hand on top of his, moving his fingers underneath her panties. She guided him until he was right where she needed him to be, and she began lightly grinding into his hand.

“Touch yourself”, she said in a low breathy voice.

He’d known about this kink of hers for a while now.  
When they were teenagers they shared freely with each other, even things like this. When they were afraid to be judged or just weren’t comfortable talking to other people, they knew they always had each other to talk too.

“I like to get myself off watching guys jerk off.”, she had confessed.

“We have to rearrange”he said.  
Feeling his need for release starting to build.

Her moans were getting to him now. He was more than ready, and willing, to do as she had asked.

She was still aware he wasn’t feeling his best though.

“Ok, take it easy sitting up.”, she said

He sat up slowly, waited until he was sure he had his bearings.

He pulled his sweatpants off and pulled her onto his lap, so she was sitting close to his knees facing him.

She had already taken her panties off and her fingers were moving up and down over her sensitive spots. 

His penis was already in his hand.  
He had to take a second to cough in his sleeve.  
She stopped to make sure he was ok.

“Maybe we should stop.”, she said.

“I’m ok. My throats just scratchy. Trust me Iris. This will make both of us feel better.”

He was rubbing up and down his penis, over his balls and at the tip. He started to finger her with his left hand while his right hand began pumping up and down his thick long cock. 

He didn’t look pale anymore, that’s for sure. His face was red with desire.

Two of his fingers now rubbing on her G-spot. She was moaning uncontrollably. He could feel her pussy tightening around his fingers.  
Pre-cum dripping off his head. He was pumping with urgency now. They were both really close. 

“Barry!”, she screamed as her orgasm hit full force. He loved the feel of her juices flowing down his fingers.

“Iris!”, he moaned as spurts of cum erupted  
from his penis. 

Somehow they managed to keep their body fluids contained to their clothes, thank goodness they didn’t get anything on Joes furniture. 

Barry’s hand was on her breast, lightly playing with her nipple as she came down from her orgasm. 

“I want to kiss you so much”, she said, but I don’t want to get sick.”

“Same!”, he said. 

“When I’m better though”, he said with desire, his scratchy voice still showing itself. Another cough into his arm. 

She put her hand under his shirt, touching his nipple. 

“I like yours too you know.”  
“I could tell, he said with a smile.”  
He moaned when she gave it a light twist.  
“Feels good!”, he moaned.

“Glad I could make you feel better”, she winked at him. 

“I love you Iris!”  
“I love you too Barry”  
“I mean, I really love you , like this, like...”

“I know Barry. I feel the same way! I always have.”  
That really put color back on his pale face.

“What about Eddie?” He said hesitantly.

“I’m going to talk to him tonight. It’ll be difficult, but I think we all know it’s the right thing to do.”

They cleaned themselves up, and despite the afternoons shenanigans, Barry was breathing ok and he was actually starting to look and feel better.

They sat on the coach talking and laughing, really wishing they could make out, but controlling the urge. 

Barry had two more bowls of soup and was still hungry.  
“I wonder what Joe has planned for dinner?”, he asked.  
He even sounded better now.

He looked over at the clock. “It’s 5:00, I gotta grab my pill.”

“Don’t you dare flash away” she said. 

“I won’t.”

He actually walked up the stairs to get it.  
He swallowed it down and went back to the living room to sit with Iris.  
The pill hit him fast this time. She watched as his eyes were closing and his head rolled to the side. 

“Barr, she tapped him lightly. Come on, let’s get you upstairs for a while.”  
“K”, he said half asleep.

She guided him up the stairs and into bed. She pulled his covers up, and turned down the shades.  
She kissed his much cooler forehead.  
“Sleep Barr”  
“I’ll be here when you wake up”

Iris was there, as she had promised, when he woke up around 7:30, Joe was too. They were both in the kitchen when Barry came down.  
“Hi sleepy head”, Joe said.  
“How you feeling kid.” 

“Much better” Barry said.

“You look and sound better”, Joe said smiling at his kid.

“I made a few plates for you Barry”, Iris said.

Just a few?, he was egging her on again.

“Yup!, he’s feeling better”, Joe said.

Barry had just grabbed a plate from the fridge to heat up, when Iris came up behind him.

“I talked to Eddie”, she said.

He came home with dad, so we went for a walk. 

“How’d it go?”, Barry asked.

“He was upset, but he wasn’t crushed. He knew how I felt about you, before I admitted it to myself.”

“I’m going to pack my things over the weekend and come back to live here until I find something of my own.”

“Why don’t we find something together?”, he said looking into her eyes.  
She smiled at him, that beautiful smile.  
“I’d like that”., she said

He grabbed his plate out of the microwave and sat down to eat at the table. Iris sat next to him, sipping on her coffee. 

“You’re cute Mr. Allen”, she said  
“You too Ms. West”, he returned.  
They rubbed noses together. 

“The minute Caitlin gives you a clean bill of health”, she practically growled at him.

He almost chocked on his broccoli. 

“I better go home before we get worked up again”, she said. 

“Ah ha” he said looking at her with a smile.

She got up and grabbed her coat.

“I’ll be by at lunchtime tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything, ok.”

She was serious now.  
“I will”, he said.

She was walking toward the door.

“Iris”, she turned to him.  
“Thank you for today, for everything, I mean. You being here for me, when I was so sick, means a lot.”

“You’re welcome” she said with another smile, a sincere smile, not just the kind that came with lust.  
“Anytime Barry! Now get some rest”

“Will do he said. Right after I finish up my other two plates.” She rolled her eyes and closed the door. 

He felt better and he had Iris now. Being so sick had really sucked, but in the end he wouldn’t have traded today for the world.

He finished up his dinners, went to his room, took his medicine and fell into a deep dreamless asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy some West-Allen love!


	4. On The Mend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry’s getting better, but still struggling with a few symptoms. His family and friends are there to help him as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No sexual content in this chapter, just a kiss  
Lots of friendship and family

Illness Chapter 4  
On The Mend

He woke up feeling much better. No more fever, sweats, or chills. His body felt good. He didn’t have to drag himself around anymore.  
If he hadn’t one more day of the antibiotics, he may have even went to work.  
Taking a nap after each does of medicine was probably out of the question at the CCPD though, so he put that idea away fast. 

He was still coughing. He actually had to use his inhaler last night, when he woke up out of breath. 

Maybe, another day of healing wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

He was headed toward the Shower when he almost walked right into Joe.

“Barry!”, Joe’s warning came.  
“Joe!”  
“ Oops, Sorry!”, Barry said.

How are you feeling son?  
“Better”, he said  
Coughing a little bit, “I was just headed to the shower.”

“Look Barr”, I’m glad you feel better!” Joe stood there and paused. Barry waiting for him to continue.

“I need you to promise me you will stay put today.”  
He sounded serious.  
“Yeah, of course.” “I’m sure the rest of the pills will knock me out anyway.”

That relaxed Joe a bit. He had forgot the effect the antibiotics had on Barry. 

“Oh yeah, ok.”  
“NO FLASH Barr! Promise me.”  
“Promise”, Barry said. 

Joe looked at his watch. “We’ll talk more tonight.”, he said

“See you tonight Joe”  
“See you tonight Barr.”

Barry thought the exchange had been odd, but he brushed it off and headed to the bathroom.

Joe could tell Barry was feeling better, and that made him happy, but it also made him uneasy.  
He knew Barry would be back to his old habits in no time. Thinking of everybody else and neglecting himself. So before that happened he wanted a chance to have a serious heart to heart with his son.  
The thought of how sick Barry had been just a little over a day ago really scared him. He never wanted to see Barry like that again. 

The shower felt good, Barry thought as he walked out of the bathroom. He had stayed in a little longer then usual and just let the steam run over his face and through his airways. 

Now throwing on some shorts and a t-shirt, he was relaxed and ready to get the day started.

He swallowed down one of his calorie bars, now looking at his bottle of pills. Three more to go he thought as he took the first one of the day.  
He grabbed his juice and swallowed it down. 

He hated taking one this morning. He had just woken up, and he felt better than he had the past three days. The last thing he wanted right now was to fall back to sleep.

He grabbed a few comic books and hopped onto his bed. He would make the best of it. It was just one more day, he reminded himself again. 

The first yawn hit him, causing him to cough.  
The coughing subsided, but it still took its toll, especially on his scratchy throat. His eyes felt heavy now, so he decided he would read when he woke up.  
There was no reason to fight this. He knew it was inevitable  
He laid down on his side and closed his eyes, and now he was asleep again. 

He woke up around 11:30 to the sound of the recycling vehicles picking up what the residents of the street had left on the curb. He laid there for a few minutes regaining full consciousness.

When he sat up and his stomach rumbled. His metabolism had recovered from the illness it seemed, and was hitting him hard. He grabbed another calorie bar out of his desk drawer and headed down to the kitchen. 

“Good Morning” was the text he had just received. It was Iris, checking in on him no doubt. 

“Morning”, he typed back.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better”  
“What’s for lunch?” I’m already starving”, he said.

He knew she would be smiling when his text came through on the other end.

“What would you like?”, she asked

“Whatever you want”, he said

“Barry!”

“Okay, Okay”  
“Pizza with olives, pepperoni and jalapeños, please.”

“Sounds good to me. See you around 12:30.”

“See you then”

It was almost 12:00 now, so he made himself hold off on raiding the kitchen cabinets. Instead he turned the tv on and sat on the couch.

He wondered if Iris had talked to Eddie anymore last night. He felt guilty for their impending breakup. He actually liked Eddie, he was a good man and a good cop. He knew it was for the best though, even Joe knew that.  
When Eddie had asked Joe’s permission to purpose to Iris, Joe had said no. It wasn’t because he didn’t like or respect Eddie. It was simply because he knew that Iris’s heart belonged to Barry, not Eddie, and even though she wasn’t ready to admit that yet, he knew eventually she would realize she had made a mistake, and he didn’t want to see any of them go through that. 

He looked at the clock, 12:25, he hoped she got there soon, he had to take his next pill by 2:00. He didn’t want to just eat and sleep like a baby. He wanted some time with Iris. 

Iris walked in at exactly 12:35pm carrying 4 large pizzas. He could taste it already.

“You look great Barry!” How do you feel, I mean really feel. I know how sick you were.

“I do feel much better, no lie, he said. I still have a few lingering symptoms though. I woke up last night short of breath and had to use my inhaler, and I’m still coughing on and off, but not as severe and not as often, and because of the coughing my throat is still scratchy, but like I said, overall, much better.”

They were finishing up the pizza, well Barry was. Iris had been satisfied with 2 slices, 

“He’s transferring back to Keystone”, she said

“What?” Barry stopped eating. 

“Eddie?”, she said. He’s leaving the CCPD.”  
tears starting to form in Iris’s eyes.

“Are you ok?”, he asked

“No, yes, I will be.”, she said

Barry wrapped his arms around her tightly.  
“I’m sorry Iris”  
“It’s for the best”, she said tears falling into his shoulder. 

They stayed that way for a while.  
Time seemed to stand still.  
Suddenly Iris looked up into Barry’s eyes placing her lips on his.  
The kiss was passionate, but soft. They explored each other’s mouths and tongues.  
Barry’s breathing was stating to sound labored she noticed, so Iris broke the kiss.  
“That was nice”, she said  
“It was”, he returned with a smile. 

“I, ah, I’ll be right back.”, Barry said.  
He took a deep breath, and another. He just stood there trying to catch his breath.  
“Barry?”.  
It only took her another second to figure it out. She ran up the stairs into his room and grabbed his inhaler.  
When she returned he was still breathing hard, sitting on the couch, still trying to catch his breath.  
“Here”, she said sitting next to him rubbing his back.  
“Deep breath out Barr., he did as she said.  
Ok, now deep breath in.”  
He put the inhaler up to his lips and took a deep breath while releasing a dose of medicine into his lungs.  
She waited a few seconds.  
“Again now Barr.”  
“Deep breath out”. He did as she said  
“Now, deep breath in”  
He released the medicine into his lungs again.  
She continued rubbing his back as he slowly regained control of his breathing. 

“I shouldn’t be allowed near you when your sick like this, she said. “It’s dangerous”  
“I’m fine Iris”  
Tears streaming down her face again. 

“You helped me just like you did when we were kids.”, he said fondly.

“You used to have such bad asthma attacks when you were young”

“And you were always there for me”  
“Always!”  
“Just like you were today”

“It was my fault though, I did kiss first”  
it sounded a little like regret, but more like a tease.  
“You certainly did”, he said trying to sound serious. 

“I”  
“Just kidding”, he said pulling her close again. 

Err, she said looking at the clock. It’s almost 2:00. I have to get back to work.

“And I have to take another pill.”  
“Yes you do!”, she said.  
“I’ll be back when my shift is finished.”  
“I’ll be here”, he said with his best impression of The Rock’s eyebrows rise. 

“You should go upstairs before I lose control and send you to the hospital.”, she said.  
They both giggled and he headed up the stairs. 

Iris opened the door right as Caitlin was about to knock. “Caitlin”, Iris startled  
“Iris”, oh hi! I had to pick up some supply’s a few minutes up the freeway, so I thought i would come by to check on Barry.”

“He’s lucky to have you”, Iris said  
“You too Iris”

“Looks like his appetite is back”. She smiled looking at the empty pizza boxes in Iris’s hands.

“Most definitely!”, she said

“He’s up in bed. He was  
Going to take his pill. Hopefully you can catch him before he passes out.”

“Thanks Iris!”, Caitlin said, and she headed up to Barry’s room.

“Barry?”

“Caitlin?”

“Yeah it’s me, she said waiving as she walked in.”

He was sitting up in bed, about to lay down.

“I was in the neighborhood so I figured i would come by to see how you were.” 

“Still having some shortness of breath, he said, but other than that much better.”

You’re lungs will take the longest to recover. They are the center of the illness. Just make sure you keep the inhaler close by for a couple of weeks to be on the safe side. He shook his head in acknowledgment. 

Caitlin noticed his hand on his stomach.  
“Are you having stomach issues?”

“No, I’m just (he was silent)  
“Just what Barry?”

“I can’t go to the bathroom”, he said in a barely audible voice.  
“What”  
“ I can’t poop”, he said face beet red with embarrassment 

“Oh. Sorry”, she said

“It’s ok, not your fault, he said with a yawn.” 

“She knew he was fading fast.”  
“I don’t want to give you anything for that right now Barry. It would interfere with the antibiotic.”

“Okay”, another yawn.

“Lay on your back for me”

“He laid back, she sat next to him on the bed.” 

“I’m going to massage your stomach, ok?”

“Ah ha”

His eyes were closed now. 

She started on the right lower side of his stomach, Rubbing gentle circles clockwise applying light pressure.  
Using her palm she applied gentle pressure to the inside of his hip bone.  
She continued to release and apply pressure to his right side underneath his ribs. 

When she finished, she covered him with the blanket lying next to him. 

She looked at him fondly  
“Keep healing Barry! You’re almost there”

His nap didn’t last as long as the others had. His stomach woke him up. 

He kind of remembered telling Caitlin about the issue. He kinda remembered her telling him she was going to massage his stomach. 

All he knows for sure, is that Caitlin is a miracle worker.

The problem had rectified itself, and he was more than grateful. 

He was a lucky guy, to have so many people who truly cared for him, he thought as he made his way back downstairs to the couch. 

He really was truly lucky! 

He made himself comfortable on the couch. It was only 3:30, his body now reminding him he hadn’t really slept much at all this time around.  
He closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

He woke up to his phone buzzing in his sweatpants pocket.

“How’s your stomach?”, she wrote.  
He blushed, not a dream he thought.

“No more problems”, he said.  
“I think I have you to thank for that?”,he asked.

“Tricks of the trade”, she said

“I owe you another one”, he said

“Don’t be silly Barry!” I’m glad it you feel better”  
“Me too”, he said

He was so glad this was happening on a text and not face to face. He was sure he looked like a red faced clown, he was blushing so much.  
“Have a good weekend Barr”  
“I’m sure I’ll see you on Monday”  
“If you need me before then, just give me a ring.”

“Thanks Cait! For everything!”

“You’re very welcome!”, she said.

It was 4:30 now and he was starting to get hungry again. 

He decided to wait a little longer for food.  
Probably better to let his stomach alone for a little bit longer. 

Just then his phone rang.  
“Hey man”  
“Cisco?”  
“Yeah! Long time to speak”  
It’s been 3 days Cisco.  
“I miss you Barr.”  
Between Caitlin and her Ronnie this, and Ronnie that, and Ronnie can fly.  
And Dr. Wells and his don’t keep getting your sticky lollipops on the computers Cisco”,  
it’s like they’re tag teaming me man. I need my partner back.

“I’ll be back Monday. I promise.”, Barry said.  
Cisco let out a breath. “Now that’s good news!”

Barry chuckled. 

“What are you up to tomorrow?, Barry asked.  
“They’re having a Star Wars marathon at CC theaters.  
I was gonna go down and check it out for a while.”  
“Are you up for something like that?”, Cisco asked.  
“Yeah”, Barry said. “I need to get out of the house and what better way then a Star Wars marathon.”

“Great!” Cisco said. “I’ll see you there about 10?”  
Barry could hear the smile on his face

“See you then”, Barry said

When the call ended Barry’s stomach was letting him know, once again, that he needed something to eat, to tide him over until dinner. 

“Calorie bar it is!” he said out loud. 

That reminded him.

He texted Caitlin

“Can I take my last pill when I go to bed tonight? Or will that mess me up?

“That’s perfectly fine Barr, as long as you take it tonight”

“Thanks Cait!”

That was a relief. Friday night was special in the West household. It was the night they ordered Chinese Food, sat at the dinner table and talked about their week.  
It was more than dinner on those nights, it had been a time for bonding and sharing and just being together as a family.

He was on the couch taking a light nap when Joe got home.  
Joe didn’t wake him, he knew he was still recovering and that he still needed the rest. 

Barry must have heard him come in though as he started to sit up.

“Hey Joe”, he said as he stretched his arms up in the air.

“Hey Barr!” “How you feeling?”  
“Even better then this morning” he said.  
“Good to hear”, joe said with a smile.

“Hungry?”

“Do you really have to ask?” He still sounded tired but was waking up more and more by the minute. 

“The usual then?” as he pulled the Chinese menu from the drawer.

“Ah ha”, Barry said  
“Ok. I’ll order now then.”

He picked up the phone and placed the order.

Iris arrived at the house just as the food delivery car was pulling up. 

It was always a site to see. Three delivery men, each with two very full bags of food.  
You would think Joe was throwing a party every Friday since Barry came out of the coma. 

“My boy likes his chicken fingers” was Joes go to response when the drivers said anything about the amount of food.

The night went great! Iris seemed happier than she had in a really long time, despite her move back home tomorrow. 

They talked for hours, just sitting there with each other, laughing and sharing. 

It was about 9:00 when Joe noticed Barry’s eyes starting to close.

“We have a big day tomorrow Iris. We should probably turn in early tonight.”  
He pulled her attention to Barry with his eyes.

“Yeah, your right dad. Let me help you clean this up”, she said.

“Me too”, Barry chimed in.

“We got this son!”

Despite the fact he was feeling 100% better than he had, he admitted to himself that his body was still recovering, so he decided it was time for him to head upstairs, take his last antibiotic and go to sleep.

“I’m gonna head up then”, he said  
He gave Iris a hug good night.  
“Good luck tomorrow! Let me know if you need me for anything.”  
“Or even just to talk” 

She hugged him tight. “Thanks Barr!”

“Good night Joe!”  
“Good night son!”

He washed his face, brushed his teeth, grabbed some fresh night shorts and t-shirt, took his pill and climbed into bed. 

He was staring at the ceiling thinking about the day’s events.  
Joe never brought up what he has mentioned this morning  
About them having a talk. I’m sure he will tomorrow, he reasoned, the pill starting to kick in once again.  
It didn’t take long after that before everything went black, and Barry was sound asleep.


	5. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry is still recovering. Eddie is moving away. Iris is moving in.  
Barry and Iris have sex!

As soon as Barry walked out of his room he smelt the wonderful aroma of Joe’s cooking.

There were two big stacks of pancakes and a plate of bacon waiting for him on the table, and a nice big glass of OJ on the side.

“Good morning Barr!”

“Morning Joe! Everything smells delicious!”, Barry said.

Joe turned to look fondly at his son.  
He noticed Barry wasn’t in his hang around clothes this morning, he was fully dressed. He had a nice pair of jeans on and a dress shirt on top of one of his tees.

“You’re not helping with the move today Barr”, Joe said in a serious tone.

“I know Joe.”

“You have plans today?”

“I’m meeting Cisco at the cinema for a Star Wars marathon.”

“Oh”, said Joe.

“Nothing strenuous, no Flash, just movies.”, Barry said.

Joe was quiet. He stood there staring at the pancake he was currently working on.

“What’s wrong,” Barry asked?

The kid looked healthy again, Joe would admit that. Not perfect, but much better then he had the past few days.  
He knew that if it weren’t for his abilities he would have needed much longer to recuperate than just 3-4 days. It would have taken his body at least a couple of weeks to rebound from something so severe

“You’re still recovering Barr.  
I just don’t want you to push yourself.”

“We’re going to watch movies, eat some popcorn, and some pretzels, maybe some nachos and hotdogs

“I don’t think I’ll over exert myself.”

“You eat all that food, you’re gonna have a stomach ache.”

“The flash doesn’t get stomach aches”, Barry said hoping to get a laugh from Joe.

“Is that right?”, Joe asked.

“Because the flash just had bronchitis!”

“I also think the flash has an inhaler in his pocket right now.”

Barry’s face started to blush

“Yeah, Joe I get it. Even the flash has his limits.”

“I’ve learned my lesson, trust me.”, Barry said.

“I’m sorry Barry! I know you know  
What you’re doing. You know your body better than anyone.”

The conversation stopped. Joe shut the oven off, removing the remaining pancakes from the pan.

“I have to get going he said. I’ll see you tonight.”  
He could tell that Joe was upset, despite his calm tone. 

“Thanks for breakfast Joe”  
“You’re welcome Barr.”

Barry ate three large stacks of pancakes. He cleaned up his mess, grabbed his keys and headed to meet Cisco. 

He was tempted to speed there, but he knew he wasn’t ready for that. He had been in bed for the better part of three days, just the 15 minute walk to the cinema was starting to affect him.  
When he got there Cisco was waiting outside. 

“Hey man!”  
“Hey”, Barry said a bit short of breath.

“You’re sweating. You ok?” Cisco asked.

“I’m ok” he said, no really believing himself.

They decided to start the day with some popcorn, twirlers and some large slushy’s.

Barry felt better once he sat down for a while. Episode One seemed to fly by. They had 30 minutes before Episode Two started, so they left their seats to replenish their snacks.  
This time Barry grabbed two hotdogs and some nachos.  
Cisco grabbed a bad of Swedish fish and another slushy.

The movie was about halfway through when Cisco caught a look at Barry, who had fallen asleep.  
He almost woke him up, but decided he should probably let him rest. He’d seen the movie plenty of times, missing some of it now wouldn’t be a problem. 

The movie finished and Barry was still asleep.  
Cisco came to the conclusion that his friend may have not been ready for an outing yet.

“Barr”, he said quietly tapping his shoulder. 

Barry stirred, but it took him a minute to take in his surroundings. 

“Oh man! I’m sorry Cisco!”

“It’s ok man! Let’s get out of here. We can head to your house and watch some Netflix. That way you can relax.”

“Yeah, ok”, Barry said moving out of the seat.

Cisco knew he didn’t feel great at the moment.

“Why don’t we Uber?”, Cisco said. 

“I can walk”, Barry said.

“Oh, I know, said Cisco, It’s me. I twisted my knee the other day, and it’s a little sore today.

Barry knew that Cisco made the story about his knee up, but he went along with it because he knew Cisco was right, they shouldn’t walk the way Barry felt.

When they got to the house Barry looked somewhat better.

“What to tell me what’s bothering you?”, Cisco asked as they sat on the couch.

“My chest is kind of tight”, Barry said.

“Like your having a hard time breathing?”

“Kinda”

“You could have said something you know.”

“I know, but Joe was all over me this morning about going out today.

Cisco cut him off. 

“And you told him you were fine and you could handle it? I’m guessing.”

“Something like that”, Barry admitted.

He could see Barry’s breathing wasn’t quite right. 

“Maybe you should take a puff.”, Cisco said pointing to the inhaler Barry had laid on the table.

Barry grabbed the inhaler and took a puff and then another. He sat there head on the back of the couch.

“Any better? Cisco asked

“Yeah.”

“Man, The Flash is stubborn when he’s sick, ha?”

“Guess so Barry said with a half smile, still catching his breath. 

Sticking with today’s theme, they decided to watch some Clone Wars.

Barry stayed awake, but Cisco knew he was tired.

“I have to drop some books off to my brother tonight.  
If your cool with it, I might head out now.”

“That’s fine.”

“I’m sorry today was such a bust.”, Barry said.

“I got to spend time with my friend Barry, it wasn’t a bust.”

Cisco got up from the couch.  
“I’ll see you Monday.”

“See ya Monday!”, Barry said.

Man was he tired.  
The flash needs a nap, he thought to himself with a slight chuckle

He got to his room and pulled out some sweatpants, changed his clothes and climbed on his bed.  
It only took about 30 seconds before he was sound asleep.

Iris tried Barry’s cell a few times, but didn’t get a response, so she sent a text to Cisco.

“Tell Barry I’ve been texting him”

“Barry’s home. Probably sleeping.”, came Cisco’s response.

“Is he ok?”, she asked.

“Yeah, just tired.”, he replied. 

“Ok thanks.”

Iris turned to her dad. They had just finished getting the last load of her belongings in the rental van. 

“He’s home. Cisco says he fine just tired.”

“I bet he is!” said Joe.

They both knew that Cisco wouldn’t lie, but they were still anxious get home to Barry. 

When they arrived at the house, Joe went upstairs first.  
Sure enough, Barry was sound asleep on his bed. 

He walked over and put a hand on Barrry’s forehead. He seemed fine, a little warm, but he knew warm was normal for Barry.

“Joe?”  
“Yeah it’s me son”. 

“What time is it? He seemed confused.  
“It’s about 6:30.”, Joe said.

“I’ve been asleep over 3 hours?”

“Guess so”

Joe’s voice still wasn’t right.

“Look Joe, you have to trust me, ok? I’ll never let myself get run down like that again.”

Barry paused, looked down and then back up at joe. 

“This all scared the hell out of me too you know.”

That’s the first time he had said that out loud, and it was true. 

Joe bent over the bed and held Barry in a hug. 

Promise me, Joe said.  
“Promise”

“You slept over 3 hours?”

“It appears so, and that doesn’t account for my nap at the movies.”

Joe just shook his head and laughed.

“You up to coming downstairs for a few  
minutes. I’d like to have a quick talk with you and Iris before I go.”

“Go?”

“I’m meeting Eddie at Jitters and driving to Keystone with him tonight.”

“Oh.”

“That’s actually why I want to talk to you two.”

Barry slid off the bed.  
“Let’s go Joe said, holding out his arm and putting it aroundBarry’s shoulders.

When they got downstairs, Iris was going through one of her suitcases. 

“I can’t find it dad!”

“Iris honey.... please come over here for a minute.”

She looked up to see Joe motioning for her to follow him to the couch. 

When she saw Barry was already there, she was so happy to see that he looked fun, she practically jumped on him.  
However, she settled for cuddling up to his side. 

Normally she would have been asking him questions about his day, or lately his health, but right now she just needed to feel him close to her. 

Joe sat on the chair in front of them. He seemed to be concentrating on what he wanted to say.

“What is it Joe?”

“You both know that I am driving to Keystone with Eddie tonight.” The both acknowledged Joe.

“Eddie’s a good person. He was a good partner too.  
He asked me to go with him tonight, to help him settle in.  
He’s pretty upset, but he’s going to be ok.  
I just wanted both of you to know that.  
He wanted both of you to know that.”

Iris was cuddling even closer to Barry now. He knew she was on the verge of tears, so he placed a soothing kiss on the top of her head.

Joe started again.  
“You are my daughter Iris and Barry, you are my son.”

On the surface, this dynamic is beyond crazy. I know that, but I also know that this, right here, he pointed at the two of them, is right!”

“It’s what you’ve both wanted for a very long time, and I love you both very much!”

“We know that Joe!”

“I want you both to know that I fully support your knew found relationship. You both deserve this.”

“Thanks dad came Iris’s soft voice.”

“Now, if you need any help finding a new place, he cleared his throat, as soon as possible, he cleared his throat again, let me know.”

They understood, “no intimacy in front of me”, was what Joe was saying. 

“Understood”, Barry said

“Understood”, said Iris

“Ok then, I’ll see you both Sunday night.  
Take care of him Iris.”

“Joe, I’m..  
“Fine., I know.

“You take care of Iris”  
“Of course”, Barry said.

Once Joe left, Iris looked up at Barry, still cuddled up next to him. Barry looked down into her eyes. Lips met lips. There was no desperation in the kiss. It was hot and sensual. Exploring each other fully this time, their breaths mixing and tongues clashing.

Suddenly, iris pulled away.

“Where’s your inhaler Barry?” He grabbed it out of his pocket and threw it on the coffee table. Her lips went right back to his.  
They took their time. There was no reason to rush this. 

Barry had unbuttoned Her blouse and was caressing her breast’s on top of her bra. Her nipples were hard with arousal. He rubbed and he pinched. Listening intensely to her soft moans.  
Her hand was busy rubbing and squeezing him through his sweatpants.  
Small moans escaping his mouth now. 

“Iris, let’s go upstairs.”  
She shook her head yes, removing her hand from his bulge. 

“Let’s go”, she said, “and don’t forget your inhaler.” There’s a real possibility you may need it , she said licking her lips. 

He grabbed it off the table and followed her up. Their clothes came off right away. Iris pulled him toward the bed. She laid on her back and he straddled her hips.  
“I’ve wanted this for so long Iris.”

“I have too Barry”  
“I’m sorry it took me so long to admit it.”

He spread her legs gently, touched her sensitive spots. She was already wet, so he moved his fingers to her hole. He pushed one in and then another. Her hands were on her breasts. Rubbing all over. He put some pressure on her G-Spot and she nearly screamed.

“I’m ready Barry.”

He could hear the urgency in her voice.  
He removed his hand. It was covered with her juices.  
He gave his penis a quick rub, positioned himself in front of her hole and slowly pushed in. 

Neither of them were virgins, but what they felt at this moment they’d never felt before. 

He moved slowly at first, giving her a chance to get used to him being inside of her. 

He leaned over to kiss her and she kissed back.  
He was moving faster now, she could feel his heartbeat on hers. He was breathing hard, but it wasn’t from his illness. She could tell he was getting close. He moved onto his knees, moved her legs to his shoulders. He was touching her now, moving in and out with purpose. He knew it wouldn’t be much longer and he wanted them to reach their peak together. Her breaths were fast now, meeting his.  
He went first, but she was right behind. They held each other tight as their orgasms took them, lips meeting lips again, as the waves of pleasure rolled through them. 

“I love you Iris” running the outside of his palm on her cheek.

“I love you too Barry”, she said laying her hand on his heart.

He slowly moved off her. Laying on his back now, her head on his right shoulder, hand still on his chest. His heartbeat was fast. She knew it was normal for him, but she still asked. 

Looking into his eyes, his beautiful eyes...  
“How are you?”  
He knew what she meant.

“I’m better Iris. Just tired today.”

“Your breathing?”, she asked.

“Getting there”, he said.

“Good”, she said, with a wicked smile.

“Iris West”, he said as she startled him now. 

“Show me what the Flash can do”  
He knew what she wanted. He had told her how when he got excited his body would vibrate. He could control it now, and she wanted to see it.  
His penis was rock hard again. The way his body worked now, it didn’t take long at all for him to recover.

She lined them up, lowering herself onto him. 

“I’ll do the work this time”, she said.

It had only been a minute or two of her bouncing up and down on his penis, and he could tell she was already on the edge of her second orgasm tonight. 

He closed his eyes, letting the moment take him. His body started to vibrate. He moved his finger to her clit, the sensation quickly did her in. He felt her clamp down on him, wave after wave of her release. 

When she relaxed he motioned her to lay her head on his stomach facing his erection.  
He moved his pillows behind him to prop himself up, her head still close to his crotch. He moved his left hand to his hard cock while his right hand explored her body. He stared to vibrate again. Only his left hand this time. He moved his hand and fingers up and down his length. The vibrations on his cock causing his breathing to pick up again. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it.  
She had two fingers in her hole and her thumb on her clit, her third orgasm about to hit.  
His moans were breathy and urgent now. He started to move his hips. Her orgasm hit and so did his. For the second time tonight their body’s in sync. His hand stopped vibrating. And he let himself relax. They rolled to face each other, embracing their bodies together. They fell asleep just like that listening to the beat of each other’s heart. 

This week had been rough on both of them, but tonight none of that mattered. Whether it be an illness or anything else. They would get through it. Together, they could get through anything.


	6. Back to Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry’s feeling much better, but his first adventure out as the Flash doesn’t exactly go smoothly.  
Poor Barry!  
In the end, family and friends is all you need.  
This is the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI Mentions of injury, blood and vomit for this chapter only.

He’d been back to work for 3 hours now, filing papers, reading through cases, analyzing samples. 

First thing this morning the Captain informed him he would be inside all week. He had way to much lab work to catch on after being out last week.

There would be no time for him in the field this week. 

Barry figured Joe had something to do with this. 

Iris had already called him twice checking in.

“I’m fine Iris, really. It feels good to back to work.”

“I heard you get up last night. I heard you trying to catch your breath and I heard you use your inhaler.”

She had snuck into Barry’s room last night around 2 am.  
She said it was to see how he was doing, but he knew she just wanted to check on him, and be with him. 

He wanted her there too, he really did, but he knew Joe wouldn’t appreciate finding them that way.

“I know Iris.”, he said I spoke to Caitlin this morning, and she’s going to take some chest X-rays tonight.”

“But except for the occasional shortness of breath and being a bit tired, I feel a lot better.”

“I can’t stay home from work when I’m not sick.”

She was about to retort, but she knew it wouldn’t get her anywhere, and actually, she knew he was right. 

“Okay Barr. Call me later. Love you!”

“Love you too Iris.”

Joe had been up to his lab around 11:30 to drop off some food. He had just finished two tuna sandwiches and one of Cisco’s calorie bars and he was still hungry. 

He’d run across the street to the diner when he finished up with the file currently open on his desk. 

That’s when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

It was the meta human attack alert followed by a text from Cisco

“Meta-Human, at the mall, causing a hale storm” 

Well that’s interesting, Barry thought.

He had told his team at Star Labs that he would only be available for meta-human crimes for a while. He would let the cops handle the rest. He wasn’t sure if that would change once he had fully recovered, but for know that’s how it had to be. 

He hoped he could take care of this meta-human quickly and get back to the lab before anyone noticed him missing, specifically Joe. 

He knew Joe wouldn’t want The Flash back on duty until he was given a clean bill of heath.

He hoped he would get that tonight, but he was still having episodes of shortness of breath. 

He quickly grabbed his duffle bag from his locker and sped out the door. 

It was the first time he had the Flash suit on since last Monday night, a full week ago, and it felt good! The air hitting his face, the adrenaline pumping through his body. He felt alive again. 

When he arrived at the mall, it was encased in what looked to be an actual storm cloud with hale pelting down around it.  
It was a beautiful day in Central City, and outside of the mall, the clouds were white and the sky was blue.  
It was one of the strangest things he’d ever seen. 

“Barry! “Yeah said Barry into the com. 

“Are you there yet?”

“Yeah” is the reading in the suit not telling you that”

Cisco blushed, “Oh, ah yeah. It would help if I turned the suite monitors on.”, he said.

Barry rolled his eyes and smiled. “Guess we’re both recovering from last week.”, Cisco said.

“There’s hale everywhere Cisco. How am I even supposed to get in there.”

“Do your arm thing”, Cisco said.

“Oh yeah”,  
Good call Cisco!”

“FLASH!” came a call from behind.  
He knew that voice. Joe was already on site. 

Barry looked at Joe, gave him a quick “I know” and began moving his arms in circles at super speed. 

10 seconds later, there was a clear path into the mall.

“What’s the situation detective?” Barry now addressing Joe, who had moved closer by.  
Joe was forced to push the dad in him away for now.

“10 hostages, 2nd floor.”  
“It’s Mark Martin”,he said.

“He controls weather like his brother?”, Barry asked. 

“Yes he does”, answered Joe.

“Great” said Barry

Joe couldn’t help but notice how healthy Barry appeared. No sign of illness at all, he thought.

I’m heading in, Barry said.  
Joe acknowledged him with a nod.

2x2 he sped them out of the mall and delivered them to the safety of the CCPD. 

He had just placed the last two hostages with the detectives, when Martin appeared. 

“I’ve heard about you, Flash!”, he said looking at Barry.

“That’s good”, Barry said, “Then you won’t be surprised when I drop you inside a cell at Iron Heights”

Suddenly, a gust of wind came slamming down on them, knocking the line of detectives and officers back against the police cars behind them. 

Barry recovered fast. He grabbed Martin from behind, about to flash him away, when suddenly he was in the air. 

Martin was flying. It took Barry a minute to realize what was happening, but before he could react, Martin let go. He landed on the ground hard, flat on his back. 

The police had recovered enough that they were now moving the hostages away from the scene. 

Joe, hadn’t moved a muscle since Martin had left the ground with Barry, until Martin had intentionally let Barry go. 

Joe wasn’t sure if Martin had done it to get away or to kill The Flash, probably both Joe figured.

At Star Labs

“I’m sure he’s ok Dr. Wells. His vitals are weak,, but he’s alive.” 

Joe’s text came through on Cisco’s phone.

“Cisco!”

“Barry hit his head hard. There’s blood everywhere. I have him in my car, he’s conscious, but out of it.  
I’m on my way”

Caitlin moved first, grabbing a stretcher, some towels, a bow of water and bandages. 

“Cisco, I’m going to need you and Joe to help me out getting Barry up here.”

Cisco followed Caitlin into the elevator without hesitation 

As soon as Joe pulled up, they pulled Barry from the back seat as gently, and as fast as possible.

Joe wasn’t exaggerating, there was blood everywhere. His back seat was a disaster. 

“They moves him from the car to the elevator, and into the Cortex in no more than 3 minutes. 

The entire time Barry was mumbling, but they couldn’t make out what he was trying to say. 

Caitlin got to work right away. 

“I need to stitch this up first, she said pointing to the gash on his head she had just located.”

“Cisco I need ice, a lot of it.”

“This is going to wear off of him fast.”, she said.

“When he’s healthy his metabolism burns right through most anything used to control pain.”

Joe was on the opposite side of the bed holding Barry up as Caitlin had asked.

“Ready Joe?”  
She knew Barry was going to feel this and in the state he was in, would likely try to escape Joe’s arms.

“Ready” Joe said taking a deep breath.

Sure enough as soon as Caitlin stuck the needle in his head he started to squirm away. Luckily, he seemed to not realize he had super speed at the moment. 

Caitlin stitched him up as fast as possible, while also taking the proper precautions to make sure it was done safely. She gave him another shot, a sedative this time, in his arm. 

The front of his head now cuddled into Joe’s chest.

Joe loves the kid, but this position had become to common over the past week. 

Barry was actually wining lightly into Joe now.

“Is he going to be ok?”, he asked Caitlin.

“I’m going to put him through the MRI machine as soon as he is fully out.”

Joe started to rub circles on his back, he knew that would help with Barry relaxing and hopefully help him fall asleep. 

Once he was asleep, they rolled the stretcher over to the MRI machine. 

I wanted to look as his lungs tonight anyway, she said walking towards the ex-ray machine.

“Head first” she said to the guys.

“ Let’s get him on the table and lay him on his stomach.”  
(The gash was on the back of his head)  
There were levers near the top of the table she could use to hold his head in place. 

Dr. Wells’s voice came through the rooms coms. 

He had been in and out of the lab lately. He hadn’t really given the exact reason, but it was his lab after all.

“Tell me when you’re ready”, Dr. Wells said.

Caitlin gave him a thumbs up and the machine started to move 

“No fractures  
And no cracks. His skull looks good.

“He has a severe concussion.”, Dr. Wells said.

There are no signs signs of any other brain trauma.

“That’s good news!”, Caitlin said to Joe, who was now white as a ghost.

“Cisco and I can finish up Joe. Why don’t you go get cleaned up. He’ll be fine, I promise!”

Joe trusted Caitlin completely. She had done so much for his son, taken such good care of him for almost a year now. 

“Ok”, he said moving away from the scene.  
“I’ll tell the Captain that he decided to take the rest of the day to rest.  
He won’t question it since this is Barry’s first day back after being out sick.”

“Good idea”, she said smiling at him. 

Cisco was coming in the room as Joe was leaving.

Here are his labs from this morning, he said handing her a clipboard.  
He had stopped by before work, so Caitlin could take some blood.

“No sign of infection and his cells are rapidly regenerating at their normal rate.”

“That’s good?”, Joe asked.

“Yeah, that’s real good Joe”

“I’ll go clean up and be back as soon as possible,  
He made eye contact with Caitlin, letting her know how much he appreciated her, and then walked out the door. 

“Now for your lungs Mr. Allen”, she said as they carefully flipped him onto his back while Dr. Wells cradled his head as carefully as possible. 

Once he was adjusted and his head secure, Dr. Wells left to ready the machine again. 

“Ready when you are Dr. Snow”  
She gave him the thumbs up and the machine came to life again.

“No fluid”, he said with a smile.  
Lots of scarring in there though.  
He must have had bad asthma as a child. 

Results normal she wrote on the clipboard next to the results of the blood work.

Caitlin moved the machine off of him, carefully removing the head restraints. 

She could see he was starting to stir, which meant the sedative was wearing off. She grabbed a  
Couple of pillows and laid them against the machine behind him. 

As soon as she sat him up he started to gag. 

“Cisco! The bowl!” She pointed to a shelf.

He handed it to her just in time for her to place it under Barry’s chin before he started to throw up. 

It’s ok Barr! I’m right here, she said, We’re all right here. 

He threw up a lot. It made sense, He ate a lot.

Cisco felt both disgusted and sympathetic for Barry at the moment. 

“I’m gonna go out there if you don’t need me right now” he said to Caitlin.

“She saw that he was starting to turn green now.”

“I’m good”, Caitlin said, holding onto the bowl and Barry at the same time.

“Why don’t you go outside for a few minutes and get some air.”

He wanted to stay and help, he knew they both needed him right now, but he also knew if he stayed there would be more of a mess to clean. 

“I’ll be back he said, heading toward the door”

He was about to push the button for the elevator when the door opened. 

“Iris”

“Cisco, is Barry...”

“He’ll be ok. He’s, Cisco hesitated, his mind going to the scene he just left. He clapped a hand over his mouth and sprinted to bathroom across the hall.

Iris was concerned about Cisco, but she had to see Barry. 

The headline on the bottom of the tv they had turned on at Jitters said:

“The Flash; bloody and beaten at the hands of a flying meta-human.”

She had called Joe right away and he had told her that he brought Barry to Star Labs. 

He told her more about what happened, but her mind had stalled at “his head was split open and Caitlin stitched it up. They’re running some tests now.”

What she saw when she walked into where Caitlin had Barry, should have put her in the same state Cisco was in at the moment.

Barry was propped up on the table of the MRI machine. The cut on his head visible, fresh stitches and all. Dried blood through his hair. 

There was a bowl of vomit on the floor and an empty bowl placed on his lap.  
Caitlin had a bowl full of water with some washcloths, trying her best to clean Barry’s face and arms. He apparently missed the bowl at some point. 

Iris walked closer to them despite her better judgement. 

“Can I do something to help?”, she asked Caitlin softly.

“Iris!”, Caitlin jumped.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, it’s ok Iris.”

“Can I help?”

He’s really out of it. Between the concussion, pain meds and sedative, his stomach is in bad shape too. 

“Is he gonna be ok?”

“He’ll be fine. His body has fully recovered from his illness and his hyper-healing is hard at work.”

“It will take a few hours for him to fully recover, so we just need to watch him closely until he’s coherent and back in control of his body. 

His head jolted from the pillow and he began dry heaving hard at the bowl in his lap. 

“Iris, hold his head for him.”  
Caitlin held the bowl up. His body trying to expel the contents of his stomach once more, but nothing came up.  
Iris had tears in her eyes now.  
“It’s ok Barr.”, she said holding his head as carefully as possible.  
His head came forward once more and this time his stomach spasms were productive. 

When he finished Iris laid his head back on the pillow and Caitlin finished cleaning him up the best she could. 

“If you want to clean up, I can stay with him”, Iris said to Caitlin.

His eyes didn’t seem as glossy anymore. 

“Barry!” Caitlin said

He looked at her. Iris is here, she pointed to Iris who was next to his head. He looked over and up at her.  
I’m going to leave the room for about 10 minutes, but Iris is here to make sure you’re ok.

He moved his head flush against Iris’s side.  
Iris caressed his face being careful not to touch his head. 

Caitlin handed Iris a clean bowl, just in case, she said.

She picked up the other two bowls and brought them over to the bathroom to dispose of their contents.

Should could see that Barry was now peacefully cuddled into Iris.

“It looks like the worst of it is over”, she said to Iris with a confident smile. 

“Do you want this, she said sliding a chair toward Iris. Iris took the chair. 

“I’ll be back shortly, and she left the room.”

Iris pulled moved the chair up be where they had Barry propped up. she placed a hand on Barry’s face.

“What am I going to do with you?” Iris said softly. 

“Take me to get some pizza?”

She looked up when she heard his voice.  
“You’re ok!” She said hand on her mouth, tears in her eyes. 

“I am now” he said.

Still being cautious, she stood up and wrapped an arm around him. “You are going to give me grey hair Barry Allen!” 

“So, can we get pizza?”

She was crying and laughing now.  
He really was too much she thought.

Let’s wait for Caitlin, ok?  
“Ok”

The first thing Caitlin noticed when she arrived at the door was that he had regained control of his body. His arm was on Iris’s back, Iris’s head on his shoulder and his chin on her head. 

She knocked lightly on the door. When they looked up she gave them an affectionate smile. 

“Feeling better?  
“He wants pizza”, Iris smiled at her. 

“Is that right?”  
“I do, he said.

“How about, we start with these.”  
Caitlin pulled some saltines from her pocket and handed Barry two packs.

He didn’t waist any time opening them up right away.

“Go easy Barr”

“The concussion did a number on your stomach.”

It was slowly coming back to him now.

“Yeah”, he said, moving the second pack of crackers to his side., looking embarrassed.

“I’m sorry about all that”, he said looking at Caitlin. 

“Now you owe me two”, she said winking at him. 

He smiled. 

“Seeing that smile is payment enough, she said.

“Do you want some water or some ginger ale?”

“Water please.”

Caitlin helped him up and over to one of the beds.  
She pulled out a tray, put down the water and one of his calorie bars.

“You do need to keep your metabolism up, but go slow ok?”

He Nodded, “thanks!”

“Okay Barr”, she said taking a seat in front of him. 

“I figured you could use some good news.”

“Yes, please”, Iris said. 

“While I had you in the MRI for your head, I imaged your lungs.”

“There’s no fluid. They’re nice and clear, and  
your bloodwork from this morning shows no sign of infection.”

“Your cells are regenerating at super speed, and as you can see with what you’ve been through today, you’re hyper-healing is is at full strength.”

“I’m healthy again!”  
“Exactly!”, she said

“Now, if you can just not get severely injured for a while, you will have a clean bill of heath.”

Joe had returned, and had been at the door while Caitlin was talking to Barry and Iris. 

He walked in with a smile, he held out his arms to Caitlin for a hug, which she happily accepted.  
“Thank you so much!”, he said.

“Anytime!”, she replied.

“Ok, you two, You can go home.”, take a shower, clean yourself up”, she said to Barry.

“But you are to stay put at home relaxing.” 

“I mean it! I don’t even want you walking around the house. Got it?”

“Got it., he said

“We’ll make sure he obeys”, said Joe.

“I won’t let him off the couch”, Iris said. 

“Ok then. Be good Barr.”

“Will do”, he said with a smile.

Once Caitlin left the room, they helped Barry off the bed, with Barry under his right shoulder and Iris supporting his other side, Joe turned to embrace them both in a quick hug.

They stood like that for a minute or so, feeling safe in each other’s arms. 

Then they returned to the position they started in, and made their way out of the med-bay.

Iris and Joe helped Barry into the passenger seat of Joe’s SUV 

Iris got in the back behind Barry, hand on his arm.

They pulled away from the curb. Everything was peaceful and quiet for the first time today. 

Barry took that as his opportunity to remind them of what he wanted.

“Can we get pizza now?”

Iris and Joe started to laugh.

No matter what happened in their lives, there was one thing they could always count on.  
That Barry was hungry.

“What?”, Barry asked at their laughter. They started to laugh even more. 

“Is that a yes or a no”

They were laughing so hard now they almost peed their pants.. 

Joe calmed himself and spoke to his son.

“Yeah Barr! We’ll order when we get home.”

“Great, I’m starving”

They laughed all the way home.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my favorite kind of story to write.  
I hope you like it!  
There will be at least one more chapter, possibly two.


End file.
